Journey to the roof of the world

'Far away places with strange sounding names have always held a special place in my heart' writes Liz O'Reilly, who went on a trip to the capital city of Nepal.

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to go to Kathmandu - as well as Zanzibar, Timbuktu and Samarkand, but those are journeys for another day - and this crowded, lively, yet extremely spiritual, city did not disappoint.

Nepal has always been a Mecca for the hippies among us and, without a doubt, there are still plenty of them in evidence.

But the country is also becoming ever more popular with leisure tourists and adventure travellers, please don't mix the two, and, of course, the ever present mountaineers drawn by the prospect of the Himalayan mountain range, home to eight of the world's highest peaks.

And it's a country that welcomes everyone, you can get a visa at the airport when you arrive, all you need is a couple of passport photos and around $30 (BD11.300).

Leaving the airport in darkness we travelled up the side of a hill, you can't call it a mountain when you can see the real behemoths in the distance, to the Gokarna Forest Golf Resort and Spa.

The resort is set in 470 acres of the medieval Gokarna Forest which was traditionally the royal hunting ground of the kings of Nepal and as such, unlike other woodland in the region, it is a conservation area which has never been denuded in more than 500 years.

The forest is teeming with wildlife from birds and spotted deer to monkeys, lots and lots of monkeys, and even, if you're very, very lucky, the occasional leopard - the only ones now allowed to hunt the deer.

The 18-hole golf course is set into the forest and covers an area of rolling hills, and some steeper inclines, which, though not a golfer, I can see would make it an exciting course to play.

It's designed by the Gleneagles people and attracts a lot of interest from international golfers, many of whom have been involved, alongside the hotel, in fundraising efforts for a school which helps local orphan children.

And this is not the only good work underway at Gokarna Forest, the resort is in the process of becoming independent from Le Meridien group so that it can become even more eco friendly.

Soap, water and paper are already recycled and even the golf course is Green with a capital G employing a team of 70 local women to keep the weeds and course grasses at bay by hand rather than using pesticides and other chemical pollutants.

General manager Vikram Singh and his young team are looking forward to the challenge and a more welcoming and knowledgeable group of people you'd be hard pushed to find, there's even an environmentalist on the staff whose job is to help with the eco-process.

Also at Gokarna you will find the Harmony spa offering a full range of health and beauty treatments among them planetary healing bowl therapy in which large bowls, made of various metals some of them particular to your star sign, are used both in meditation when struck with a paddle, or for healing when placed along the body's chakra points and again struck.

OK, so this sounds a bit cookie but a brief demonstration soon shows that the healing therapy certainly has a calming and energising effect and the meditation left a great sense of general well-being.

In fact it's just what you need after a drive through Kathmandu city where, I'm sad to say, it was hard to ignore the rubbish dumped by both homes and businesses alike - something the new government, elected just a few months ago, is determined to tackle.

Still, you don't dwell on that when there is so much to see. Dogs laze in the sun, cattle roam freely often, it seems, settling down to rest at the side of busy road junctions where vehicles of all descriptions vie for space their horns honking good naturedly.

It's not unusual to see whole families all perched on one motor scooter or people clinging precariously on the roofs of the buses when there is no room inside.

Nepal and the Kathmandu valley have many ancient and holy spots and a visit to the World Heritage Site at Pashupati is a must. According to legend, when the Hindu Lord Shiva came to Pashupati he became Lord of the Animals and today millions of Hindus from all over the world make pilgrimage to the spot.

Hawkers will try their very best to sell you trinkets, some good, some bad. They might be a pain, but bear in mind this is how they make their living and don't forget to bargain.

And don't let them put you off the stunning sights of Pashupati where you will find the gilded roof of the pagoda house, shrines built in a line offering hopes of fertility, the Sadhus who follow the lifestyle of Shiva and paint their bodies in ashes and wear loincloths, and even more monkeys!

On the opposite bank of the holy Bagmati River you may see dead bodies, bound in bright yellow/orange cloth having their feet washed and prayers said over them before they are burned on a public funeral pyre. Our guide tells me this is where the funerals for Nepal's royals were held following the massacre in 2005 when the Crown Prince turned his gun on his family.

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site that's a must see is the Bouddhanath Stupa, home to Tibetan Buddhism in Nepal where groups of red clad monks mix with local citizens and pilgrims, rich and poor, to circle the stupa tipping the prayer wheels as they go. At sunset this 36-metre tall temple is a sight to behold and the square is surrounded by shops selling everything from jewellery to kukri knives, the traditional knives used by Gurkha soldiers.

My favourite spot in an all too brief visit was the Patan Museum in Patan Durbar Square, a superbly restored and converted former palace and Buddhist monastery housing more than 1,500 objects including the throne of the ancient Patan kings.

The museum, housed in another stunning square, is home to a wealth of sculptures and exhibits of both Hindu and Buddhist deities created in the Kathmandu valley and dating back hundreds of years. Each is accompanied by a detailed written description giving the visitor details of their historical significance and a valuable insight into the cultural heritage of the country.

And don't forget Bhaktapur Square, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site which has yet more temples and an incredible feeling of peace away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Away from the monks, temples and monkeys, for the adventurous Yetty Airlines offers a morning trip over the mountains. It's an early start but worth it since you get to circle Everest - how many people can say that.

For the less adventurous, you can see the mountains up close and pretty personal from the rooftop viewing platform of Club Himalaya at Nagarkot. Visit at sunset for a view that's breathtaking in more ways than one since Nagarkot is at 2,200 metres above sea level, the highest peak resort in the country.

And in the evening take a walk through Thamel, the downtown nightspot area where you will find all manner of shops and lots of entertainment from the likes of cafŽ New Orleans where, not only is the food superb and plentiful but owner Suresh is a dab hand as a singer/guitarist and there are regular jamming nights where anyone can join in.

There's more shopping at Babar Mahal Revisited but this is a bit different, a unique complex of old Rana palace buildings originally built around 1919 and redeveloped to house a warren of chic clothes shops, designer galleries, handicrafts and restaurants such as Walter's where we had a very fine lunch.

If shopping and temples aren't your thing, Nepal is also rich in outdoor pursuits from mountain biking and bungy jumping to paragliding and whitewater rafting and national parks which are home to animals from elephants and rhino to wild boar and red pandas.

And then there's the mountains. What more can I say.

Obviously this mountain kingdom is a great place for those who want to pit themselves against the peaks and follow in the footsteps of Tensing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. But if you want mountains without the mountaineering, you can still get involved.

Visit the Summit Hotel where you'll not only find good reasonably priced accommodation but you'll also come across boss Kit Spencer, a Brit ex-Gurkha Regiment officer who moved to Nepal 15 years ago for the mountaineering and now runs Summit Trekking and can organise mountain experiences at all levels from a vigorous walk in the foothills on upwards and upwards!

I travelled to Kathmandu with Gulf Air which flies to Nepal daily with extra flights on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, and with prices starting at just BD190 it makes this an affordable journey.

And with a new government in place, promising relief from years of turmoil and a climate which offers a delightful, green alternative to the Middle East's desert lands, there's never been a better time to visit the 'roof of the world' before everyone else does.

To find out more visit www.welcomenepal.com